I have very vivid memories of my second birthday party (this might be because we have photos of the big day that I’ve eagerly looked at my entire life). Nanu and Nana, my Sicilian great-grandparents, were there, my aunt and her boyfriend Geoff (yes, I remember his name…I think I had a 2-year-old crush on him) gave me a turquoise sit-n-spin (best toy ever), and I wore a light blue embroidered dress. So, this year is a big one for us: Zoe’s two, so I think she’s old enough to remember the memories we’re creating. I’ve partnered with Artifact Uprising to share some thoughts on our family traditions…

The holiday season is especially fun because of the traditions…taking time to remember & teach about Christ’s birth, making Russian drop cookies, shopping for & thinking of others, going to Grammy’s house and watching The Santa Claus (shout out to Tim Allen, the best Santa ever), the search for a Christmas tree, etc. I cherish every memory from my childhood, especially those involving my sweet dad, and I want to create lasting memories and stories for my children. It’s been fun to preserve some of my own childhood traditions while my own family grows and we create our own! Traditions are so important because life is so faced-paced and these traditions usually involve slowing down, learning, spending time together, having conversations, and enjoying others’ company. Traditions also give us something to look forward to and anticipate during the year!

So, we’re taking time to put an emphasis on others this Christmas season.  It’s been fun & eye-opening to take Zoe to a store to pick out a new toy for her sister, bring it home, and then wrap it up. I’ll be honest, she’s been struggling with wanting to open the gift right away and play with it herself. But this opens the door for such an awesome lesson of putting others before herself and for me to teach about sharing. I love it! Wrapping gifts together is also a great learning experience (she gets so frustrated if the tape isn’t perfect) and even involving Naomi is important (we kept the scissors up high and only brought them down when paper needed to be cut)! I love making these experiences a family affair 🙂

Zoe and I recently put together some Artifact Uprising photo books to give our New Jersey relatives this Christmas. We printed a beautiful hardcover photo book for my Grammy & Grandpa (Zoe & Naomi’s Gigi and Pepe), and included photos of all 13 of their great-grandchildren. It’s a beautiful book of wonderful, tangible memories! Zoe and I sat on the couch together and chose all the photos. When the books arrived, she immediately knew which one was for Gigi and Pepe, and she couldn’t wait to wrap it. Now it’s under our tree, waiting to be taken up to NJ in a few weeks! Seeing Zoe so full of anticipation – to give someone else a gift – makes my heart full! We’re going to try to print photo memories every year, both for us to keep and remember life by, and to share with our relatives! My Grammy asks me for photos of our little ones every time I see her, so we’re extra excited about giving them this book! We also printed our first Christmas card this year…we had a fun time taking photos at Snicker’s Gap Christmas Tree Farm the day after Thanksgiving, while we were searching for the perfect tree…another lovely little tradition of ours. 🙂

To celebrate the importance of preserving traditions, I’ve partnered with Artifact Uprising for two exciting things:

1. Artifact Uprising is offering 10% off their full site with code DAILY10, valid through next Friday, December 11, 2015.

2. Enter your email address in the box below, and you’ll be entered to win a $250 credit towards printing your cards with Artifact Uprising. Giveaway closes next Friday, December 11, 2015.